Blast in Kabul mosque, IS bombs in north Afghanistan kill 14
Islamabad, Afghanistan AP A series of explosions shook Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Taliban said, including a blast inside a mosque in the capital of Kabul that killed at least five worshippers and three bombings of minivans in the country’s north that killed nine passengers. The Islamic State group’s local affiliate claimed responsibility for the minivan […]
Russia pounds Ukraine’s east as town buries dead in mass grave
Kyiv/Kramatorsk, Ukraine Reuters Russian forces on Wednesday pounded Ukrainian-held twin cities in the Donbas region that is now the focus of the three-month war, threatening to shut off the last main escape route for civilians trapped in the path of their advance. After failing to seize Ukraine’s capital Kyiv or its second city Kharkiv, Russia […]
Boris Johnson takes responsibility but will not quit over lockdown parties
London, UKReuters Boris Johnson said he was humbled and took responsibility but refused to quit after a damning official report on Wednesday detailed a series of illegal lockdown parties at the British leader’s Downing Street office. Opposition politicians and some in his own party have repeatedly called for him to resign over the alcohol-fuelled gatherings […]
Death toll rises to 19 kids, two adults in Texas school shooting
Uvalde, TexasAP Uvalde community members arrived early Wednesday at a civic centre where families learned the fate of their loved ones the night before. Volunteers arrived with Bibles and therapy dogs. A minister says he prayed with families of victims in a hospital waiting room after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside […]
Northern Ireland amnesty law angers families who say they will be denied justice
London, UKReuters The British Government pushed ahead with plans to offer an amnesty to former soldiers and individuals involved in decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland as victims say the new law will deprive them of justice. Unresolved crimes from Northern Ireland’s three decades of confrontation between Irish nationalist militants, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries and […]
Bishop Mildred Hines, first AME Zion female bishop, dead at age 67
RNS Bishop Mildred “Bonnie” Hines, the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, has died at age 67. “We are sad because we will miss her powerful preaching, her electrifying teaching, her dynamic leadership, and her loving spirit,” stated the board of bishops in a statement. “We are glad because she is […]
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister says he will slash expenditure in new budget
Colombo, Sri LankaReuters Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Tuesday he will present an interim budget within six weeks, slashing infrastructure projects to re-route funds into a two-year relief program for the crisis-hit island nation. Wickremesinghe, who took office two weeks ago, warned that inflation would rise as the government gets down […]
StrangeSights: Beer toasts NATO application; “full destroyed” sneakers; and, Australia’s “queen” of royal memorabilia
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
China claims sabotage as UN rights official visits Xinjiang
Beijing, China AP China on Tuesday said the US, Britain and other foreign powers are seeking to sabotage its foreign relations by orchestrating criticism surrounding a trip by the top United Nations official for human rights. China has long held back the fact-finding mission led by Michelle Bachelet, focused on allegations of mass confinement, forced […]
Demand by Orthodox Church of Ukraine over monastery could widen rift
Kyiv, UkraineReuters The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is seeking permission from the government to take over a building on the grounds of a historic monastery in Kyiv, a move likely to widen a rift with a separate Ukrainian church that adheres to Moscow. The sprawling Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex is a Ukrainian cultural treasure and […]